1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bindings for sports boards, and in particular to an adjustable rotatable binding which is adjustably configured to retrofit any of a variety of standard sports board boot bindings, such as snowboards which is compatible for use in sky, ground, water, ice,.and ski board sports and related extreme sports boards including, for example, water and snow skis and boards, wakeboards, skateboards, surfboards, and sailboards, and skateboard-type devices adapted for use on ice surfaces, and which adjustable rotatable binding may be both locked in a stationary position marked by a rotation position indicator and locked in a free rotation condition and which has a safety rotation limit track which has two separate rotation ranges (0–90 degrees and 90–180 degrees).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Snowboard boot bindings and bindings for other sports boards are normally screwed onto the board in a permanent orientation which is almost perpendicular to the direction of travel of the board. This orientation is good for riding downhill on the board, but is very uncomfortable when traveling over a flat or uphill snow contour, when it is necessary to release the back boot and use that boot to propel the board. Having the front boot nearly perpendicular to the board with the board and back foot moving straight forward is very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous because a fall in this orientation may injure the ankle or knee joints of the boarder. Furthermore on a chairlift having the foot nearly perpendicular to the board causes the board to be positioned across the front of the chair which is an awkward orientation for mounting and dismounting and is disturbing or damaging to anyone seated on an adjacent chair. Mounting and dismounting the chairlift poses a serious danger for potential injury with the foot oriented nearly perpendicular to the board.
It is desirable to be able to change the orientation of the board boot binding when traveling on flats and uphills and when mounting and dismounting a chairlift to orient the front boot parallel to the board for ease in propelling the board forward with the rear boot, which is released from the binding.
It is also desirable to be able to adjust the angle of the board boot binding to any desired orientation to the board to adapt to individual preferences for best downhill boarding performance and to accommodate different snow and terrain conditions. For example, a nearly perpendicular orientation of the boots may be better for moguls or boarding down narrow trails where tight fast turns are required, while a slightly more forward orientation of the boots may be more desirable for broad sweeping turns down a wide slope. In addition, a boarder may prefer to be able to adjust the rear boot at a different orientation from the front boot, particularly for stunt boarding.
It is further desirable to be able to adjust a board fitting to receive any of a variety of existing board boots and bindings.
A number of prior art devices have provided rotatable board bindings, but lack the improved performance and ease of adjustability of the present invention.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,755, issued Nov. 26, 1996 to Metzger et al., provides a rotatable binding for a snowboard with a base plate on the snowboard and a binding plate and foot binding rotatably mounted on top of the base plate with a locking assembly for selectively locking the binding plate to the base plate at any desired angle. The top of the base plate has an indexing platform with a circular series of bores to receive a spring-loaded pin (or two pins) with a large loop for locking the binding plate in position. Indexing markers on the base plate align the pin or pins with the holes of the base plate. The Metzger patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,649, issued Oct. 23, 1990 to Chamberlin, shows a snowboard boot binder which allows the rider to rotate his boots while riding the snowboard. It has two base plates secured to the board and two plates with boot binders rotatably connected to the base plates. Springs between each rotating plate and each base plate limit relative motion therebetween and bias the rotating plates to return to the original angle of orientation after the rider rotates the plates. The Chamberlain patent does use ball bearings. The Chamberlin patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, an elevated lock nng to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,779, issued Dec. 24, 1996 to Dawes et al., claims an adjustable snowboard boot binding apparatus which is rotatably adjustable “on the fly” without removing the boot from the binding and is compatible with existing snowboard boot bindings. A central hub is attached to the board and a top binding mounting plate and bottom circular rotating plate are interconnected and sandwich the hub between them, so that the binding plate and circular plate rotate on a bearing between the binding plate and the central hub. No snow or ice may penetrate to the hub. A spring-loaded plunger lock mechanism locks the binding plate to the central hub in a series of holes in the hub. Alternately, gear teeth on the hub may interact with a plunger to lock the device. Several other locking devices are shown. The Dawes patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device. The Dawes patent does have a retrofit capability. The Dawes patent does not provide an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, or an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068, issued Jul. 2, 1991 to Donovan, describes a quick-action adjustable snowboard boot binding comprising a support plate to which a conventional boot binding is mounted. The support plate is fixedly attached to a circular swivel plate which rotates, via a center bearing, relative to a base plate attached to the board. A cable encircles a groove in the swivel plate and a handle pivots up to release the cable for adjusting the angle of the swivel plate and pivots down to tighten the swivel plate at a desired angle. Both boot bindings are angularly adjustable. The Donovan patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device and does not have retrofit capability to fit any existing binding, and does not have an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, or an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,689, issued Nov. 16, 1993 to Carpenter et al., discloses a snowboard binding system utilizing a binding plate supported on the snowboard with a circular disk-shaped hold-down plate over the binding plate. The binding plate rotates relative to the hold-down plate, which each have ribs or ridges which interact to lock the rotational position of the binding plate. The boot must be removed and attaching screws loosened to change the angular orientation. Both bindings are rotatable. The Carpenter patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device and does not have retrofit capability. Further, Carpenter lacks roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,883, issued Sep. 10, 1996 to Erb, indicates a snowboard binding which permits angular reorientation of a user's foot while maintaining that foot attached to the snowboard and utilizes a footplate that is rotatably connected in close proximity to the snowboard by a circular anchor plate. A pair of spring biased pins inserted in a circular array of holes in the snowboard lock the footplate at any desired angle. Both bindings are rotatable. The Erb patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,088, issued Oct. 11, 1994 to Vetter et al., puts forth a coupling for releasably mounting a boot with boot binding to a turntable ring which is adjustably secured to a snowboard. A spring loaded pin with a long cord is the locking mechanism. The Vetter patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, or an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,237, issued Sep. 16, 1997 to Lauer, concerns a rotary locking feature for a snowboard binding allowing rotation of a snowboard binding relative to the snowboard without removal of the binding from the boot. It utilizes a releasable latch integral with the binding to disengage a rotatable locking mechanism having a stationary circular hub notched around the perimeter with a spring-loaded pointer engaging the notches to lock the rotating binding in place at a desired angle. The Lauer patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,837, issued Mar. 19, 1996 to Hale et al., illustrates a swivelable mount for a snowboard having a rotatable binding plate attached to a circular plate which rotates in a circular groove of a base plate secured to the snowboard. A handle with a cam and spring-loaded pin secures the binding plate at a desired angle. The Hale patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, or an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,116, issued Mar. 1, 1988 to Hill, is for a releasable binding for snowboards having a ring secured to a snowboard and a block rotatably mounted on the ring with boot-engaging plugs at each end of the block. A spring-loaded double pin locking system is operated by a handle to move both pins simultaneously for locking the binding at a desired angle. The Hill patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, or an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,337, issued Oct. 3, 1989 to Harris, provides a binding for a snowboard (and water ski board) with longitudinal and angular adjustment. Riding plates move along a channel running down the center of the board traveling on a pivotable connector riding in the channel locked in place by a thumbscrew. The Harris patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, or an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,492, issued Dec. 17, 1996 to Fardie, provides an adjustable snowboard binding assembly which can be rotatably controlled without the use of external tools. The snowboard mounting platforms each have a plurality of inwardly facing radial teeth along the circumference of a centralized circular cutout, the bottom of which rests on four quadrant segments connected to a stainless steel band which moves along a groove in the center of the board activated by a lever. The mounting platform can rotate relative to the four quadrant segments and is locked in place at a desired angle by two spring loaded sliding segments with mating teeth to engage the teeth on the mounting platform to lock it in place at a desired angle. The Fardie patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, a retrofit capability, roller bearings, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, or an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Patent Application #20020140208, published Oct. 3, 2002 by Duvall, puts forth a boot and binding rotation apparatus, which is compatible for use in sky, ground, water, ice, and ski board sports and related “extreme” sports. The apparatus is preferably used with boards, skis, and comparable items including, for example, water and snow skis and boards, wakeboards, skateboards, surfboards, and sailboards, and skateboard-type devices adapted for use on ice surfaces. The boot and binding rotation device includes a base plate that has a stance adjust key assemblage and a ring mount flange. The base plate preferably receives a hole pattern for mounting to the sporting device. A retainer ring is mounted about or to the base plate and is formed with a retainer race surface about an interior circumference. The retainer ring rotatably captures a rotator disk. The disk is preferably formed with a stance adjuster receiver and a rotator race surface. The race surface is adapted to cooperate with the retainer race surface to form a circumfluent raceway, which can be a scarf or half lap butt splice joint. The rotator disk is further sized and adapted to substantially cover and protect the base plate from the elements and to receive a footgear mounting hole pattern, which mounts the binding or footgear worn by the user. Preferably, the receiver releasably captures a stance adjuster, which can be a quick-release-type pin, that is adapted to engage the stance adjust key assemblage to relatively and adjustably fix the rotator disk relative to the base plate. The Duvall patent application does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Patent Application #20030038455, published Feb. 27, 2003 by Lett, concerns a swivel mount for a board binding, which includes a base mountable to an upper surface of a board, and a swivel plate rotatably mounted on the base for relative swiveling rotation of the swivel plate relative to the base between a ride position and forward-walking positions. When the swivel plate is in the ride position the binding is oriented generally perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the board. When the swivel plate is in the forward-walking positions, the binding is oriented to point a user's forward foot in the binding toward a front end of the board, so as to generally form an acute angle between the binding and the longitudinal axis of the board. A rotational resistance device cooperates between the swivel plate and the base for increasing rotational resistance above that of free-floating rotation but without locking of the swivel plate in a preset locking position when swiveling the swivel plate through the radial arc of the forward-walking positions. A ride position latch releasably locks the swivel plate in the ride position relative to the base upon rotational urging by the user's forward foot so as to return the swivel plate from the forward-walking position to the ride position. An actuator releases the ride position latch when actuated by a force applied in a first direction urging the swivel plate to swivel from said ride position to the forward-walking positions. The Lett patent application does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Patent Application #20030090072, published May 15, 2003 by Cole, illustrates a freely rotatable binding base assembly for use on a board used in single-board sports such as snowboarding and slalom water skiing. A binding assembly mounted on and movably secured to the board, and is adapted to receive a conventional boot as worn by a rider. Additional features include a locking means for selectably blocking rotation, and a clutch for braking rotation by applying side loading to the board. The Cole patent application does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Patent Application #20030132610, published Jul. 17, 2003 by Miotto, is for a device for fixing a boot attachment base to a snowboard. The device includes a base with a seat housing a first disc, the disc and seat have cooperating teeth. The first disc includes a rim defined about its upper surface, multi-lobed holes or apertures, and a centrally located slotted hole extends through the first disc. A second, smaller disc fits within the rim on the first disc, the second disc includes a centrally located slotted hole and multi-lobed holes. The slotted holes in the discs are disposed perpendicular to one another, the multi-lobed holes are aligned, and a locking assembly, including a parallelepiped block, fits within the holes and engages them simultaneously. A square nut, screw, and washer, complete the locking assembly for the pair of discs. The Miotto patent application does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Patent Application #20030057679, published Mar. 27, 2003 by Pollmiller, depicts a snowboard with a rotatable mount securing a binding thereon. The mount includes a base member affixed to the snowboard by fasteners that extend through positioning holes. A coupling member is rotatably disposed in the base member and includes openings to fasten the binding to it. A latch operates to lock and unlock the rotation of the coupling member so that the rider may orient the boot with respect to the board's longitudinal axis. When locked, the boot's longitudinal axis is generally transverse to the board's longitudinal axis in a primary boot position. When unlocked, the rider can rotate the boot so that its longitudinal axis is generally parallel to the board's longitudinal axis in a secondary boot position. A snowboard that has first and second bindings is provided with the mount's coupling member attached to the second binding. A method for supporting a binding on a snowboard is also provided. The Pollmiller patent application does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,489, issued Jun. 10, 2003 to White, provides a snowboard rotatable binding conversion apparatus, which is inserted between and attaches to a snowboard and a boot binding to render the boot binding rotatable in relation to the snowboard. The snowboard rotatable binding conversion apparatus includes a base, an engaging plate that sandwiches the base between the engaging plate and a snowboard, a top plate that sandwiches the engaging plate between the top plate and the base, an engaging element that engages an engaging slot in an engaging plate, an engaging bar that movably secures the engaging element to the base, a tension bar that provides tension to the engaging element, a tether attachable to the engaging element, and a plurality of screws and screw-receiving holes to attach the engaging bar to the base, the engaging plate to the snowboard, and the top plate to the base. The White patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,511, issued Sep. 17, 2002 to LaVoy, shows a swivelable mount for the boot bindings of a snowboard or walceboard or the like that includes a low profile top plate with a downwardly extending circular outer wall which screws down onto matching threads on the outer edge of a circular bottom plate, which attaches to a snowboard. The top plate provides an inner-facing threaded flange positioned opposite the outward-facing threaded surface of the bottom plate, and prevents upward movement of the top plate from the snowboard, thereby keeping the snowboard rider firmly attached to the snowboard. The two plate surfaces are slideable on each other when a spring pin, mounted to the top plate and extending through a hole in the bottom plate, is drawn upwardly, corresponding to an unlocked, rotatable condition of the top plate allowing the upper surface to rotate to another position as determined by the placement of the holes. When the spring-loaded pin is released, the pin engages the opposing bottom plate hole and prevents the top plate from rotating. The LaVoy patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,749, issued Nov. 20, 2001 to Eglitis, claims an angularly adjustable snowboard binding mount and method of adjusting such that utilizes a position altering plate, which is fixedly mounted onto a snowboard. A baseplate is mounted on the position altering plate and is pivotally movable from a locked position to an unlocked position with the unlocked position being substantially ninety degrees from the locked position. The locked position locates the longitudinal axis of the boot binding substantially at ninety degrees relative to the longitudinal center axis of the snowboard. The unlocked position locates the longitudinal axis of the boot binding substantially in alignment with the longitudinal center axis of the snowboard. In the second embodiment of this invention, the boot binding is mounted on an adjustment plate, which is mounted in conjunction with the baseplate. The position of the adjustment plate can be adjusted relative to the baseplate so as to accommodate to different initial mounting positions of the boot binding relative to the snowboard according to the desires of different riders. The Eglitis patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,346, issued Nov. 16, 1999 to Keller, indicates a binding for a snowboard or the like that includes a base plate, which has a central opening and a fastening plate located inside the central opening. The fastening plate is held to the board by fasteners, which can be moved to different holes in a pattern of holes. A flange plate and a clamping disk are retained to the fastening plate by screw connection sleeves threaded into threaded bolt holes located on the fastening plate. A spring located on the fastening plate tries to lift the flange plate and the clamping disk in the vertical direction. The clamping disk includes arcuate concentric slots having a ramp-like bearing surface conforming to heads on the screw connection sleeves having convex undersides. The clamping disk has a first rotational position and a second rotational position. The first rotational position forces a toothing arrangement located at the peripheral outer edge of the flange plate to engage a mating toothing arrangement on the base plate and holding the base plate in a non-rotatable position. The second rotational position causes the toothing arrangement in the flange plate to disengage the toothing arrangement in the base plate allowing the base plate to rotate. The Keller patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,402, issued Mar. 27, 2001 to Tanaka, puts forth a snowboard binding adjustment mechanism for adjusting the angular orientation of a snowboard boot relative to a snowboard. The snowboard binding adjustment mechanism can be rotated and locked at various angles relative to the snowboard without the need for tools. The snowboard binding mechanism basically has an adjustment disk adapted to be fixedly coupled to the upper surface of a snowboard, and a base plate having an opening with the adjustment disk positioned therein. A control assembly is formed between the adjustment disk and the base member for locking and unlocking the base plate relative to the adjustment disk. In particular, locking members are movably arranged relative to the adjustment disk and the base plate for engaging internal circumferential teeth formed along the opening of the base plate. A control member is secured for moving the locking members between the locked position and the released position. The control member in selected embodiments is rotatably coupled to the adjustment disk and operatively coupled to the locking members to move the locking members between locked positions and release positions. In one embodiment, a pair of links interconnect the control member to the locking members. In another embodiment, a cam member is utilized to engage the locking members for moving them between the locked positions and the release positions. In one of the embodiments, biasing members or springs are utilized to hold the locking members normally in a locked position. The Tanaka patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,853, issued Jun. 16, 1998 to Erb, concerns a snowboard binding that permits angular reorientation of a user's foot while maintaining that foot attached to the snowboard. A binding that attaches a user's foot to a snowboard includes a footplate that is rotatably and continuously fixed to the snowboard and which is attached to the user's foot via straps and a rear support which contact a snowboot. An anchor fixes the footplate to the snowboard with the bottom of the footplate as close to the snowboard as possible whereby the bottom of a snowboarder's foot is as close to the plane of the snow as possible, and is slidably engaged with the footplate to permit that footplate to rotate while remaining attached to the snowboard. Anti-pivot spring pins located outside the outer perimeter of a user's snowboot accurately and repeatably secure the footplate to the snowboard once the footplate is in the selected angular orientation on the snowboard. A top plate includes a plurality of pin-receiving holes defined therein for receiving the spring pins. The anchor includes a top plate, which is slidably connected to the footplate by an annular flange on the footplate fitted beneath an annular flange on the top plate. The Erb patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,578, issued Dec. 5, 2000 to Patterson, illustrates a mount for securing a boot binding to a snowboard for permitting the binding to be easily rotated between a user-preferred snowboarding orientation preset by the binding, to an orientation approximately parallel to the snowboard's longitudinal axis, and to conveniently and accurately return the binding to its original preset snowboarding orientation. The Patterson patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,910, issued Oct. 27, 1998 to Ricks, is for a swivelable bindings assembly for a snowboard, for selective rotational adjustment of the bindings about an axis normal to the upper surface of the snowboard. The assembly includes a rotatably adjustable bindings plate that has a bottom surface, an upper portion adapted for releasably supporting a user's boot, and a relatively large diameter circular opening in the central portion of the plate. The assembly includes a holds-down disk that is received in the plate opening and is adapted to slidably engage edge portions of the plate opening to restrain the plate against upward separation from the disk and to hold the plate with its bottom surface slidably engaged with, and vertically supported by, the low-friction planar surface of a sheet of material secured to the top of the snowboard. The disk also serves to mount the plate for rotation about an axis through the center of the disk. Mechanism for releasably locking the plate at selected rotational positions includes a locking pin with an elongate shaft that engages a horizontal bore extending from an edge of the base plate to the base plate opening, the plate being rotatable to bring the bore in alignment with at least one recess in the outer edge of the disk whereby the pin shaft can be engaged in a selected recess to secure the plate against rotation. The Ricks patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,481, issued Sep. 8, 1998 to Eaton, provides a snowboard that is provided with front and rear foot mounts. The front foot mount is mounted for rotation or pivotable movement about an axis. It is lockable into a number of rider selected azimuthal positions on the snowboard. Foot rotation can be used to move it between some positions. In other positions, the front foot mount is locked in position and cannot be moved to a new position without the rider first pulling on a pull line, to unlock the front foot mount from the snowboard. The rear foot mount is a step-in step-out mount. The rider can step in at a number of different azimuthal positions, selected by the rider. In each position, the rear foot mount is moved by rotation into a position where it is locked to the snowboard. A pull line is used to unlock the rear mount front of the board, so that the rider can rotate his/her rear foot into a step-out position. The Eaton patent does not have a secure screw-type up and down locking device, an elevated lock ring to prevent icing, a central guide post for ease of alignment during assembly, a positive engagement safety device to limit the degree of rotatability during free rotation, an easy grasp elevated L-shaped lock handle for use with gloves or mittens, or a rotation position indicator for use with the graduated increment sticker, or an L-handle leash hole and leash, or a top plate overhang to keep dirt out, or an inner grease ring to keep dirt out of the inner shaft, or a series of angle set screws.
None of the prior art enable a secure locking of the snowboard boot binding in either the hold down position or the freely rotating position. They require holding the locking mechanism to allow rotation and releasing the locking mechanism to lock it by spring action or friction.
None of the prior art devices provide an advertising or identification plate combined with the snowboard binding.
None of the prior art devices provide an adjustable means to allow a rotatable binding apparatus to be used with any of a variety of existing snowboard boots and bindings having two 90 degree rotation modes.
None of the prior art devices provide a top plate overhang to keep dirt out.
None of the prior art devices provide an inner grease ring to keep dirt out.
None of the prior art devices provide an elevated lock ring to prevent ice from collecting in the holes used for the locking mechanism.
None of the prior art devices provide a rotation position indicator for use with a graduated sticker.
None of the prior art devices provide an L-handle with a leash hole and a leash to adjust the angle of rotation from a standing position.
None of the prior art devices provide a series of angle set screws to pre-set the amount of rotation available between the top plate and the bottom plate.